


Fascination, Saturation, Validation, Exploitation

by scheherezhad



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-10-24 21:05:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10749801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scheherezhad/pseuds/scheherezhad
Summary: A series of drabbles set in a modern au wherein Soma is a celebutant and Agni is his bodyguard-slash-P.A.





	1. the right knot for the right situation

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [drabblefest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/drabblefest) collection. 



> My friends decided we should have a drabblefest, I wanted to write some self-indulgent Agni/Soma after recent manga events, and here we are. Posted in the order I wrote them, rather than chronological order. Title from "Pop Goes the Camera" by Adam Lambert. (It was that or Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" or Darren Hayes's "Pop!ular." I like dance pop songs about fame, okay?)
> 
> Dedicated to my ch127 crying buddy saekhwa, who let me drag her into this fandom a couple of years ago and flail at her about all my feels ever since, and who has always been one of my best cheerleaders.

Soma learned to tie his own tie when he was ten. Meena had always done it when he was little, but she couldn't come with him to boarding school, so he does a passable Windsor on his own.

Now, he has Agni. Agni has clever hands, and he ties intricate knots in Soma's bright, flashy ties. Soma doesn't know their names, only that the gossip magazines love to gush over them and say he has cutting edge fashion sense, but he's really only watching the soft smile on Agni's face and relishing the brush of nimble fingers against his throat.


	2. aim

It is all too easy to forget that Agni is more than his friend and personal assistant. He's gentle with Soma in a way no one else is. Not simply indulgent or sycophantic, but kind and attentive. He cares about Soma as more than an employer.

But when some paparazzo gets too aggressive, or when some thug thinks Soma nothing more than an air-headed socialite and an easy target, when Agni's aim is true with fist or firearm, it is impossible not to remember that the man at his side conceals deadly skill under his soft smiles and quiet words.


	3. a fairy tale lie

On quiet nights when the two of them stay home instead of eating at whichever trendy restaurant the publicists insist Soma be seen at, Agni cooks, and they eat in front of the television. On these nights, Soma pretends. He pretends he's a normal person with a normal life, spending time with his partner. And sometimes, after they've eaten and cleaned up and the heroine is singing for her love as her sari flutters in the wind, Soma rests his head in Agni's lap and lets the soothing fingers in his hair convince him of his fantasy a little longer.


	4. muscle, blood, and bone

"Don't you ever want time for yourself, Agni?"

"It is kind of you to worry about me, but I am content with the way things are. I have more than enough time to myself."

"But it must be boring to just babysit me all the time and do everything for me. You must want to go out with friends sometimes, or on... dates."

"Every fiber of my being is devoted to your service, Soma, and my needs are well met."

"Then promise me you'll tell me if there's anything you want. I want you to be happy."

"I already am."


	5. follow my lead

One of the first things Soma's new bodyguard does is teach him self-defense. Soma finds the whole thing silly. He's the youngest son of a rising business magnate, but he's not important and accomplished like his older siblings. Four of them are doctors, two are lawyers, and one is in politics. Even his sister Diya who no one talks about is a human rights activist and surely a more tempting target than a boy barely out of secondary school. But Agni is one of the most handsome men Soma has ever seen, so he gamely follows along when Agni insists.


	6. spring break

After Soma agrees to be one of the hosts for NTV's Spring Break week, he quickly realizes he has made a crucial tactical error. As much fun as a week at the beach will be, partying with beautiful boys and girls, watching live music shows, and attending exclusive events, he will also be _at the beach with Agni_. He's undoubtedly going to see Agni without a shirt, wet and glistening in the sun...

Soma drops his head to the tabletop and groans. He wonders if it's too late to ask them if he can host the ski resort party instead.


	7. artificial intelligence

To the general public, it's never mattered that Soma graduated in the top ten of his class or that he's excelling in a difficult degree program. He's young and attractive and famous through no doing of his own, which is a combination ripe for vicious criticism of his assumed level of intelligence. So when he gets invited on a celebrity quiz show, he smiles prettily and buzzes in with correct answers and counters catty remarks with literary references, and he relishes the look of pride on Agni's face every time the annoying bro host fails to get under his skin.


	8. first kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been casually shipping Soma/Edward ever since the Phantom Five training montage when Edward asked Soma to teach him to dance better, so that kind of crept in here. If there's any demand for it, I might write some more for them; otherwise, it likely won't come up much again in this story, so don't worry if it's not your thing.

"Who was your first kiss?" the interviewers ask.

Soma laughs and gives them a half truth, that it was the daughter of a family friend from India, when they were toddlers. It did happen--there are photos--but he doesn't count it. His first real kiss was fifteen and blond hair and boyish muscle built up from cricket and fencing. He and Edward were together for two years, and he isn't ashamed of their relationship, but he won't out someone he cares about. Besides, now that everything he does is under public scrutiny, he likes having something just for himself.


	9. standing in the rain

It's like a scene from the end of a summer blockbuster action movie. He and Agni are standing in the rain, soaked to the skin, half-blinded by the lights of the police cars that arrived to arrest Soma's attempted kidnappers. The reality of it hasn't fully set in yet, but Soma can feel himself shaking from cold and the adrenaline crash.

"Agni, I lost my jacket," hears himself say. "I really liked that one."

Strong arms wrap around him, holding him tight. "I know you did," Agni says, voice shaky, and Soma cries hot tears against Agni's already wet chest.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No prompt used on this one. Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I've been dealing with some health issues, crazy retail work scheduling, and another writing project.

Once it becomes clear that Soma isn't going to date his way through starlets or get sloppily drunk at parties and try to drive, the paparazzi look for anything odd in his behaviors. He doesn't mind most of the photos that result, the silly expressions or unflattering angles, but one of them catches an unguarded moment at a party. He has no idea when he started looking at Agni like that, or when Agni started looking back. The tabloids and gossip blogs have a field day writing sensational headlines, and now all Soma sees is every time Agni looks away.


	11. always by your side

Soma's cousin Poulomi gets married in spring. The ceremony is lovely, and the reception lively. Aunties and uncles mill around, asking all the unmarried cousins when it'll be their turns, the children chase each other across the grounds, the teenagers pose for endless selfies, and everyone eats and eats. A couple of the aunties corner Agni to see if he's good marriage material, and Soma overhears him gently rebuff them.

"My work comes first, as long as Soma needs me."

The aunties tut about what a shame it is for a handsome man to be unavailable, and Soma quietly glows.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No prompt used for this one. I just love the idea of Soma dancing bhangra.

The party after the wedding is the most fun Soma's had in quite a while. He hasn't danced bhangra in ages, and he feels rusty at first, but on a dance floor full of sweaty teenagers and young adults, he finds himself loosening up in no time. He ends up joining an informal dance-off and makes it to the semi-final round before he loses to Poulomi's brother Deepak. When he leaves the floor, Agni smiles and presses a cold glass of sparkling punch into his hand.

"I didn't know you could dance like that."

Soma grins. "Next time, join me."


End file.
